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[Shadowverse] Tempest of the Gods Legendary Analysis Pt. 1

“But Yuyu. Where was the Legendary Analysis for Rage of Bahamut?” you may ask. To which I answer “I forgot. Also the legendary cards in that set were pretty boring.”

On the other hand, Tempest of the Gods looks to be an exciting expansion because each class is getting not one but two legendary cards! I guess that means double the analysis posts right? That also means I am starting these posts before the set even releases so hold on to your pants, it’s going to be a crazy long ride.

Disclaimer: Scores are pretty much arbitrary and completely opinion based. A 1 means it’s meh. A 3 means it’s okay. A 5 means it’s sexy and amazing. Also there’s no actual order to these cards. I just chose randomly because not all the cards have been revealed yet. Also I’m not a divine being that knows everything about this game. These are opinions and not facts and solely look at cards in a vacuum without looking at the rest of the set because I’m lazy.

= Zeus =

Neutral

Storm. Bane. Ward.

I don’t know if I have ever seen such a boring legendary in any card game before. No crazy effect. Just three keywords.

Storm (or Rush) and Bane is always a good combination because it allows Zeus to attack anything on the board immediately and kill it regardless of the enemy’s defense. The fact he has Storm makes him okay at closing out a game by bursting an opponent for 5 or 7 damage.

Fanfare: Destroy all other followers and amulets. Can’t attack the enemy leader if 2 or more enemy followers are in play.

Ward is also not terrible, especially combined with this card’s insanely high 10 defense. Zeus not only allows you to damage your opponent or kill a high priority target but also keeps your life total defended during the crucial endgame where life totals start approaching zero.

That being said, he costs 10 play points. Compared to Bahamut who can wipe an entire board (Zeus can only kill one wtih his attack) or winning the game outright with Prince of Darkness, Zeus seems pretty weak. In other words, Zeus feels like a jack of all trades yet master of none type of card. He is worse than Bahamut at stabilizing, worse than Prince of Darkeness at closing the game, worse the Albert at burst leader damage, etc. etc. But he does do all of them to some degree.

He’s also got a glorious beard so that counts for something.

Score: 2/5

= Dark Jeanne =

Havencraft

Fanfare: Deal 2 damage to all other followers. Then give +2/+0 to all other followers.

I like the art of Dark Jeanne far more than regular Jeanne the Arc.

Dark Jeanne puts an interesting spin on the conventional Havencraft archetype, pumping your followers’ attacks in exchange for their defense. Dark Jeanne can act as a switch to turn your wall of high defense Ward followers into game finishing attackers.

Besides its aggressive use, Dark Jeanne is another turn 6 area of effect damage dealer against small followers. Havencraft already has Themis’s Decree on turn 6, but redundancy in card effects is important for deck consistency. Dark Jeanne will more likely be used for her early board clear ability than her “turn Wards into attackers” but either way she’s solid.

Score: 3.5/5

= Elf Queen =

Forestcraft

Fanfare: Restore X defense to your leader. X equals the number of shadows you have. Then change your number of shadows to 0.

Fanfare: Restore X defense to your leader. X equals the number of cards in your hand.

First and foremost, the art for this card is gorgeous. Second, the effect is absolutely amazing. Another way to read Elf Queen’s text is “convert your shadows to your leader’s defense.” The other card in Forestcraft that Elf Queen shares a niche with is Fairy Beast, which heals you as well. But because Elf Queen needs shadows, it requires you to discard or play your cards while Fairy Beast requires you to hoard them. Elf Queen, therefore, rewards proactive card usage and aggressive fairy use.

Therefore, Elf Queen will be an amazing addition to a midrange Forestcraft deck based on Crystalia Tia and Elf Knight Cynthia which tends to play out all of its Fairies as opposed to a Rhinoceroach, Silver Bolt, or Path to Purgatory based decks (the first two tend to hoard Fairies in the hand while the third would never want to use up shadows). Midrange Forestcraft was a powerhouse during Darkness Evolved and I expect it to come back in full force with Elf Queen.

Score: 5/5

= Gawain of the Round Table =

Swordcraft

Whenever this follower attacks, subtract 1 from the cost of all Commanders in your hand. Enhance (6): Gain +1/+1 and Rush.

Insert boy band joke here.

I think with Albert and Gawain, Swordcraft is becoming the class of the manly husbandos. That and cute maids. Good mix.

I love Gawain’s Enhance effect. It’s useful and relevant without breaking the card (cough Albert). If you play him on turn 4 or 5, you can Evolve him to get his cost reduction. Otherwise, you get the Rush and then get the reduction without using an Evolve point. The relevant follow-up Commanders to a turn 4 or 5 Gawain is Sage Commander, Sea Queen Otohime (costs 6 normally, 5 after a turn 4 Gawain) and Frontguard General (costs 7 normally, 6 after a turn 5 Gawain). An earlier Sage Commander or Sea Queen Otohime is great for aggressive Swordcraft decks while an earlier Frontguard General is great for midrange or control.

The biggest problem with Gawain is not his power but his cost. Swordcraft has two powerful followers that also cost four play points: Floral Fencer and Amelia, Silver Paladin. The former is probably the best bang for your evolve point in the game while the latter is great for stabilizing against an aggressive deck or grinding out value against a control one.

In short, Gawain is a lot like Zeus. Okay in both aggressive or control decks but overshadowed by already existing cards. Though I can see him replacing Amelia depending on the build, I still like Amelia more simply because she reminds me of Emilia from Re:Zero.

Score: 3/5

= Minthe of the Underworld =

Shadowcraft

Ethereal Tyrant is making a return my friends! Undead dragon otk memes let’s go! But seriously, Shadowcraft is also getting a 1 play point cost follower that allows one Deathly Tyrant to ignore Ward. Let the hilarity ensue.

That being said, I don’t think Minthe of the Underworld is very good otherwise. Shadowcraft does not use that many shadows to fuel its Necromancy costs and can get by with the shadows from its early-game followers. The only Necromancy effect I have had trouble playing while playing Shadowcraft is Death’s Breath’s Necromancy (6) cost but only in control match-ups where the ward and +0/+1 is not very relevant.

Minthe of the Underworld is a powerful effect for a problem Shadowcraft doesn’t really have. She’ll be great as a combo tool, however, in a deck filled with Necromancy effects. But, such a deck will be inconsistent since having too many Necromancy cards and not enough sources of shadow will simply leave the deck under-powered.